30 Kisses: Roxas and Naminé
by The Kirei Onna
Summary: How much do I love you? Let me count the kisses' A 30 themes story for all your Roxas and Naminé needs. I still suck at summaries. R&R please
1. Attention Grabber

* * *

**Kiss 1: Attention Grabber**

* * *

The young girl sat hunched over in her usual seat, a pencil gripped tightly between pale, delicate fingers. Hair fell in a stream of white gold over one shoulder, her lips and teeth coming together in a lovely combination of pink roses and white pearls.

'Scritch Scratch'

The sound of paper and pencil coming together to create a masterpiece echoed throughout the room. The pure white substance was defiled as the myriad of colors found their way onto its' surface, filling it, changing it , trading elegant simplicity for a rare and vibrant beauty. She studied the beginnings of her work carefully, talented eyes roaming over it, already seeing the end result in her mind. She continued with what she was doing, humming a little tune, but even that ceased after a short while. Interruptions were not an option with any of her pictures, and this piece was certainly no exception.

And so the girl continued drawing, becoming one with her work and losing contact with the world around her. She became so enraptured in what she was doing that she failed to notice a certain black clad figure standing in front of her.

Roxas looked down upon the small girl, attempting to figure out how to get her attention and not get himself killed. Naminé was tougher than her delicate frame would suggest, and all of the Organization had learned to tread lightly and not disturb her when she was in the midst of the artistic process.

He suppressed a shudder at the memory of the Graceful Assassin. He had walked up behind Naminé and brought his hand down hard upon her shoulder, surprising her and causing her to mar the picture she had spent hours working on. The outcome of that incident had not been a pleasant one, and Marluxia had spent many a week sporting cuts, bruises, broken bones, and had walked with a limp.

And let's not forget the time Demyx had flooded one of the Castle's courtyards. Naminé had been outside at the time, and though there wasn't any damage done to her, her sketchpad was not so fortunate, and all of the art contained therein was ruined. He remembered the look on her face when he had presented it to her, bloated and soaked, all of the art within a mere shadow of their former glory.

It had taken him and four other members to keep her from treating Number IX to a gruesome trip back into darkness.

And now here he was.

Air blew from his lips as a frustrated sigh that broke through the silence around him and rustled the jagged bangs on his forehead. This was stupid. He shouldn't be afraid of anyone or anything, least of all, a girl. He was the Key of Destiny after all, and he had a reputation to uphold. '_Reputations don't count for crap if your dead'_, his conscience shot back at him. Naminé, meanwhile, continued with her sketching, blissfully unaware of his plight.

It carried on this way for a while. The two Nobodies locked in an unknown but perfect stalemate, the room quiet save for the soft sound of their breathing and the movements of pencil against paper. If Roxas had a heart, he imagined it would be pounding with anxiety right about now.

And then, it came to him. An idea was so fool proof, nothing could possibly go wrong. He smirked as he walked closer to Naminé and bent over her unsuspecting form.

Naminé started in surprise when a hand suddenly found its' way into her line of vision, pushing her sketchpad down and away from her. She lifted her head to glare at the person who dared disturb her work and found two deep blue orbs locked with her own. She let her body tense up, ready to exact divine punishment on this fool who dared to get in the way of her precious drawings.

Unfortunately for her, that idea was instantly shot down.

Everything seemed to happen at once. Naminé's eyes narrowed and her arm shot out at Roxas. The second hand went out in response and clamped down on the appendage, firmly, but carefull not to cause harm. She halted, shocked by how fast he moved. Roxas took the chance to slide his hand up her face, leather cased fingers coming to rest in pale locks. Coming out of her stupor, she opened her mouth to yell at him, but found that she couldn't, due to it suddenly being occupied.

There he was, his hands entwined in her hair, their mouths pressed together, tension thick enough to cut with a knife... or a Keyblade. For a moment, neither moved, breathed, or spoke. Not that they could, anyway. Number XIII briefly wondered how many ways she was going to kill him. He was drawn out his gloomy thoughts by soft hands wrapping around his neck. He flinched, startled, before he realized what was going on and relaxed. Her sketchpad, which had been left in his grasp, fell unnoticed to the floor as his other hand went to join it's twin.

They stayed like that for a few more minutes, before Roxas detached his lips from hers and stood at his full height. As Naminé stared up at him, still in a slight daze, she took note of the smirk that crossed his lips.

"What?" she raised an eyebrow.

XIII cleared his throat, the smug grin never fading, "Now that I finally have your attention," It was hard to miss the smugness and sarcasm intermingled in his voice, "I've been sent to tell you that it's time for dinner."

The young witch's eye twitched.

"You mean," she started, "that the only reason you kissed me was to get my attention for _dinner?!_ Whatever happened to just tapping me on the freaking shoulder?!"

"After what you did to Marly? _Hah!_ Yeah right. I'd like to keep my body in perfect working condition, thank you." His mission accomplished, Roxas started for the door. "Roxas" he looked over his shoulder at Naminé. Her swollen lips had inverted into a frown, and her fingers ghosted over her forehead, a sign of her irritation. "Why do you always do this? If you want to "get my attention." She mimicked his voice," Then why don't you just do it in a normal fashion?"

"I already explained that to you didn't I?" He placed his hands behind his head, deliberately ignoring her rendition. He turned from her, a small, secret smile finding its' way to his lips. "And besides", he turned back around. " If I did it any other way, it wouldn't be fun, now would it?" On that note, he turned and waltzed out the door, leaving the young girl with only her thoughts. Naminé stared after him for a minute before standing up from her chair.

It was always the same with him. He would come in, stand there for a while, and then kiss her to get her attention. And she, like an idiot, fell for it every time. And it couldn't even be a normal kiss! No, it had to be of those slow, hot ones that made your toes curl and your insides heat up. Did he even know the effect that his kisses, that_ he_ had on her?! Of course he did, that's why he did it.

Her stomach rumbled, effectively reminding her that her ranting could wait until she supplied it with sustenance. Sighing, she picked up her sketchbook from where it had fallen, before setting it gently on the table. Shelving her thoughts, she followed Roxas lead and left, shutting the door gently behind her.

On the table, the picture of her and Roxas, with their fingers entertwined and their gazes soft upon the other, sat patiently waiting to be completed.

--


	2. Hugs

Well, after almost three years of absolutely nothing, I decided to finally get off my lazy butt and finish this piece of my story. It's not fair to you, the readers and others who actually enjoy this story, and myself, who, contrary to popular belief, actually enjoys writing it and has never forgotten about it, to just let it sit gathering dust (that, and my sister wouldn't stop nagging me about it). So here you are with kiss number two. Also, a little bit of news for you. I've long since decided to scrap the idea of these being drabbles and make them one-shots instead. I have too many ideas for these things to just keep them limited to one paragraph. And check in for the next chapter, 'cause I have a very important statement to put up. But enough rambling. Let's roll this beautiful bean footage.

Warning: Hints of insanity on both Roxas and Naminé's parts and a semi heavy make-out session

Disclaimer:

Do I look like I own anything? Oh, wait...you can't see me... carry on then.

* * *

**Kiss # 2: Hugs**

**

* * *

  
**

'What to do.' Fingers unfolded one by one, ticking off numbers to silent ideas. 'What to do, what to do, what to do.' This was repeated several more times as she tried to look at her options.

It seemed that our dear little Naminé had a problem. Apparently she had been trying for the past several minutes to think up something to draw. And for the past several minutes, every idea she had ended in failure.

Ugh. She didn't want to draw the same thing over again, nor did she feel like transferring one of her earlier works to canvas. So now what could she do?

It wasn't often that she would lose her creative drive. And by not often, we're talking 'once-in-a-blue-moon' not often. But even so, there were moments when Naminé would lose sight of the artistic ocean and be plunged into a dry spell. Moments a lot like this one. She sighed and slipped into an unladylike posture, a hand securing her sketchpad so it wouldn't fall.

She had had experiences with artist block before, anyone who made the arts their passion would, but never to the point that she could draw absolutely nothing. The very thought made her physically ill.

_'Maybe'._ A voice in the back of her head decided to use the oppurtunity to speak up._ 'The reason you're having so much trouble is because 'he' isn't here'._

Naminé started, sitting up in her seat with a frown. "No it isn't! That isn't the case at all!" But still... her eyes moved around, surveying the stark white of her room with a less happy than glance. She had to admit it was lonely with only herself for company.

_'See ?! I told you!' _It hadn't even been two minutes before the voice was back, and more annoying than ever. _'And who's gonna make that loneliness go away? I know, and you spell it R-O-X-A-'_

"Enough!" She screamed (mentally might I add). Really, was she this annoying? "You are reading way to into this."

_'But you know there's more to it than you say. He's your muse. And without him your creative well might as well be barren and dry'. _The notes of triumph were played softly but certainly.

"Will you shut up ?!" Naminé hissed. She resisted the urge to say "Hey, I'm a poet and I didn't even know it." The only reason I'm having any trouble at all is because I'm not used to being alone when I'm working. And that's it," she replied, "There's no more to it than that."

The voice continued as per usual, but there was no mistaking that air of uncertainty. _'If you're sure.'_ It sing-songed.

"I am." And the tone of finality brought an end to the conversation.

Naminé breathed out. She needed to get some more friends, if all she could do was talk to the voices in her head all day.

The sound of an opening portal went unheard, as did the sound of someone coming up behind her until a short greeting of "Hey" had Naminé launching her out of her seat and a good foot into the air. With eyes the size of dinner plates and her hair quite literally standing on end, she clutched her sketchpad to her chest as if to protect herself.

Light laughter caught her attention and she turned to give the intruder a glare/pout.

"Rox-aaaaassss." A whine you wouldn't think to hear from the young artist had made its' way past her lips. "Don't sneak up on me like that!" The pretty sound faded from the room as said Nobody pushed back his hood, blue orbs still twinkling with merriment. "I didn't mean to scare you, Nam." A few short strides had him standing by her chair. Fingers traveled over and through her hair, putting the tresses back to rights.

"So, what's wrong? Why are you so on edge?" The appendage stilled. "Marluxia giving you a hard time again?" Naminé tilted her head up to look at him. Those once clear eyes were now dark and his lips were pressed into a thin, firm line. It was no secret that Roxas disliked the eleventh and twelfth members because of their penchant for bullying her.

Breath shaped into an exasperated sigh. "Yeah. He's always going on about my sketches, saying things like, 'There not good enough, your lack of commitment is beginning to show, could you hurry it up?' Anal bastard. I'd like to see him pull a masterpiece out of his butt in two hours time. He must think I'm Van Gogh or Monet or something."

A startled expression was quickly hidden behind a chuckle. "Yeah, that does sound like Marly. The 'anal bastard' part especially." Distantly he wondered where she picked up that kind of language. Oh well, he'd ask later. As for the artists... 'Demyx must be reading to her again.'

He let his thoughts turn to the Melodious Nocturne. All things considered, he rather liked Demyx. His fellow member held a friendly aura, and a kind, gentle disposition. It was him that Naminé spent her time with when he was sent out on missions, and Roxas greatly approved.

"But enough about flower power." Naminé's hand stole gently over the one still in her hair. He noted the sharp contrast of her white skin to the black of his glove. "This is our time."

Roxas smiled. "Yeah." It was so easy to forget being mad when he was around her... it was easy to forget everything. Wandering over to the other side of her table, he pulled out the chair and took his seat. The two then lapsed into a comfortable silence, Roxas lost in his thoughts and Naminé drawing contentedly, as if her artists' block had never occurred.

It wasn't a little while later that Naminé was drawn out of her paper constructed world by the sound of rustling. Her attention was drawn from her latest sketch and across the room to its' frequenter. Roxas had taken something out of his pocket and was now working at it, taking care so it was not damaged. Naminé watched him for a time before laying her sketchpad in her lap and cocking her head, curiosity now thouroughly piqued.

"What is that?"

Roxas' movement stilled and he lifted his head, blinking at her. "What, you mean this? Here, take a look." He extended his arm, bringing the object closer so she could see. Once within her line of vision, she lifted herself slightly off her seat to examine it.

It was small and oddly shaped, its' base nearly the width of a knickle and a thin, pointed top. It was covered by a thin layer of foil, and brown lines traveled up the sides in rows of three. Naminé looked up from the Key's hand and into his face. "This still doesn't answer my question. What is it?"

"It's a Hug."

"A Hug?" The young witch quirked an eyebrow at her friend.

"Yeah." the sweet was retracted and its' cover pulled back.

"I got them when I went on a mission to this strange world. They were being sold at a factory of some kind." He waved his hand dismissively and replaced the crumpled packaging inside his pocket, holding it back out. She could see the similarities clearly now. Dark lines travelled up over the sides in rows of three. But this was very different compared to the shiny counterpart. This looked warm and creamy. Naminé found herself staring at the strange thing in wonder. She'd never seen anything like it...

She forced herself out of her awe induced stupor and back into reality. "They're actually pretty good, though you can't immediately taste the milk chocolate part, and even when you get to it, only vaguely." Before the witch could question him further, Roxas had taken the Hug back, set it between his teeth, and bit down, splitting it neatly in half. Taking one part into his mouth, he took hold of the remnant and turned it around to show her.

Oh, so _that _was why they were called Hugs. At the very center, surrounded by the white cream, sat an arch of milk chocolate. Small, doll like hands folded over the sides of Roxas's larger one, bringing it forward so that it could be perused at an even closer angle.

XIII started at her touch. The tell-tale heat on his cheeks let him know he was blushing. Chancing a glance at Naminé, he was relieved to find her still preoccupied with his hand and the bit of sugar that rested there. Good. He really didn't want to explain why his face looked like Axel had set it on fire.

"I wish I could see things like this." The words were so quiet, he wondered at first if he had heard them at all. He looked at Naminé. Her eyes gave off a sad light and her expression reeked of wistfulness. _ 'Not that Nobodies have hearts to feel those with'. _Roxas told his annoying subconscious to shut up and listened to Naminé when she spoke again.

"I mean, you must have seen over a hundred worlds since you've been in the Organization." 'Well, maybe not that many.' But the girl continued and he felt that he shouldn't interrupt. "I want to see the same things you have, the same places and people." She spoke softly, almost to herself. "I wonder, what kind of sights would greet me when I arrived? Would it be beautiful, dull? Would the tempurature be hot, cold, or just right?

"And I wonder, how I would feel about that world? Would I fall in love at first sight? Or would I want to run screaming the moment I got there?" She let slip a little laugh and he couldn't help but smile. She was so... he had no words to describe her. But the smile faded and she broke off with a sigh. "All of you see so many wonderful things every day. I hope I could as well, even if it were only once. But I think... no, I know it's impossible."

She ceased to speak, blue eyes losing their dreamy quality and mouth inverting into a sad frown. The Key of Destiny stared at her, allowed the dagger of guilt to pierce his flesh. And why? Because everything she said were true. He had been to many places and worlds. And while missions had prevented sightseeing, the facts were unchanged.

While he was outside, traipsing around without a care, she was here, trapped in the room that served as both sanctuary and prison. She was just a servant to them. She had no freedom to take for granted. And he knew it, knew that she was lonely. Sure, he visited her every day, and Demyx was certainly no stranger to her either...

But quick fixes are just that. Never meant to last long. They wouldn't help ease the pain, the emptiness. Roxas pursed his lips, and silently vowed to do all in his power so Naminé would never have to feel used or alone again. He would undo what most of the Organization had done.

Roxas blinked, lowered his gaze. But how? Sure, it sounded easy enough in his head, but when the time came to act upon his ideas, it was quickly proven to be a lot easier said than done. Roxas took his bottom lip into his mouth as he thought. Deep blue irises roamed the room, stopping as they fell on his hand, still enveloped in hers with the piece of chocolate at its' center.

Hmm...maybe he didn't know all of what to do, but he did know where to start.

Naminé raised her head and offered her companion an apologetic smile. She had completely forgotten he was there. "I didn't mean to ramble like that," She amended. "I'm sorry Roxas." She inwardly cursed herself for exposing the deepest of her secrets.

But Roxas only shook his head. "Don't be. Besides, I love the sound of your voice."

Naminé stared, looking both pleased and embarrassed, a blush staining her cheeks an attractive pink. He smiled again. He had not meant to divulge that little piece of information, but hey, what's done is done. Besides, if she gave him looks like that all the time, he'd be more than happy to tell her all the things he loved about her.

He stopped, stunned.

_'Wait, wait, wait...did I just say love?'_ It was true. For a long time he had non-felt something for her. All those visits he made weren't just for her benefit, however selfish that might sound. It was there, in plain sight. He 'loved' this girl, the one whom everyone called a witch. Impossible though it may seem, that was how it was. _'Hey, what did I just say about having feelings?'_

_'And what did I just say about shutting up?' _Roxas decided to cut the 'conversation' short before he really went crazy. He turned his attention back to Naminé. "Hey." A blond head moved so its' owner could look directly at him.

"Would you like to try one?" he nodded at his hand.

Naminé turned her eyes upwards as a finger touched her lips. She looked so cute when she was debating.

_'Oh _damn_, have you got it bad.' _The voice was back again. But this time , Roxas didn't try to argue. There was no point in denying the truth. Naminé meanwhile, had reached her verdict and turned back to him, lips titled up in an unsure smile. "Sure, why not?"

Roxas nodded, a grin of his own rising to meet hers. "Perfect." He brought a hand to his mouth and inhaled the melted substance, frowning at the mess it left on his glove. A mental note was made to clean it later. "But first, I'm gonna need something." Platinum locks went swaying as their owner's head was tilted to the side. "Oh? And what's that?"

"Your permission."

A lifted brow joined the tilted head. Her permission? He'd only be giving her a piece of candy, why in Kingdom Hearts' name would he need that? In fact, she was about to open her mouth and ask him that very question...

Only to find him not where he once was.

The Memory Witch blinked and frowned, twisting her body this way and that, trying to ascertain where the boy had gone. She turned back around, preparing to let loose a huff...

A face full of black leather was there to greet her.

She yelped, and a jolt caused her chair to rock dangerously, threatening to send her tumbling if not for the pair of hands that reached out to grab the sides before she fell.

"Hmmm. That would have only ended in pain, right Nam?" Roxas gave a snarky grin as he backed away from the still shaken Nobody, putting his hands on the table and hefting himself up onto his previous seat. Naminé was still recovering from her "scare" and looked up at her savior.

All feeling of gratitude left her when she took notice of where he now roosted.

"_Roxas_." A dangerous growl. "What do you think you're doing?"

The boy balked, and blatantly ignored her question. "You said you wanted one right?" One hand inched toward his pocket, while the other gently touched her face. "So, I'm sharing."

One of his feet wrapped around the legs of her chair, pulling her closer.

"Naminé?" He spoke to her. His voice was soft and inquiring. "Do you trust me?"

"Huh? What?" Her mind struggled to keep up. "What are you talking about? What's going on? And get your butt _off_ my _table!_"

A contemplative look was leveled at the ceiling. "Nah. I'm good." Roxas leaned in as close as he dared; one hand gently touched her shoulder, the other still tracing her cheek. A moment passed as he watched her, head tilted forward, looking as if she was struggling with something.

"Naminé?"

Her face rose to meet his. His gaze hadn't wavered an inch. He asked again. "Do you trust me?" His voice radiated curiosity, but there was no mistaking the undercurrent of doubt that lingered there.

Naminé spoke. And there was no uncertainty in her voice or mind . "Yes."

Another Hug was retrieved. Keeping his eyes on hers, he stripped the candy of it's foil and placed it between his lips, then leaned forward and fixed their mouths together.

It was unlike anything he had ever tasted. His tongue snaked into her mouth, touching and exploring, encouraging her to join him and dance. The snack warmed and melted, filling them with its' unique, dual flavor. He moved around it, reached past it, ignoring that taste in favor of hers.

She was like sugar and honey, with a little bit of vanilla added in for a kick. Roxas hummed, delving ever deeper. The piece of candy had by then been dissolved and forgotten by both. There was only her. Pure, sweet and totally addicting.

And he knew, for as long as he lived, he would never be able to get enough.

A bout of pain came on. The irksome reminder that they needed to breathe had him pulling away, separating himself from her. Eyes slid open and the sky and sea clashed. Then he simply lowered his forehead to hers.

Silence reigned supreme. Roxas took it upon himself to dethrone it.

"So..., he began, words like fog creeping over a field, " What do you think?"

Naminé, for her part, sat stock still, her eyes hazy and lips transformed into plump red strawberries by his kiss. At last she spoke. "I think" , she breathed with equal softness; her smile as delicious as her taste, "That chocolate is good for you."

He chuckled and relaxed, unaware that he had become otherwise.

A loud chiming resounded from somewhere in the castle. The teens glanced beyond the door and toward it, faces wrapped in sadness. They knew what that meant. Visiting hours were over.

"That's my cue. I'll see you later, Nami." He slid from the table and raised his arm, opening the portal in one fluid motion. He walked toward it. Naminé looked on, watching his retreating back in silence. When he was on the precipice of the swirling night, his head turned, and he gazed at her over his shoulder.

"So..." he started. Naminé only waited for him to continue. "Same time tomorrow?"

A splash of red washed across her face. He was afraid she might faint with all the blood rushing to her head. But she only smiled and answered with a shy, "uh-huh."

Roxas smirked devilishly. "I can't wait," and barked out a laugh to match as her cheeks went from stop sign to Hellfire. "See ya later." Then he turned and vanished into the portal with a casual wave.

Naminé stared at the smoky whisps of blackness before turning and picking up her abandoned sketch pad and beginning to draw. But she'd only been a minute or so at it when she stopped and tipped her head to the ceiling.

"Huh." She licked his taste off her lips and smiled.

She couldn't wait either.

_Point of Inspiration:_

_About three years ago I was lying in my dorm room trying to think up titles and ideas for my thirty kisses. I was stuck on something when I looked down and noticed the bag of Hugs I was eating. At first I didn't even want to consider the idea, but it wouldn't leave me alone. Besides, it was so ironic it was painful. So there you have it, the origins of this fic. Thank ya'll for reading!_


	3. Alphabet Soup

It's me snitches! Just in time for my birthday too. First of all, I want to deeply apologize for making you wait this long. I could list a number of excuses, but it all just comes down to me being lazy. Even now, I'm not sure if this is where I want it. But here it is, kiss number three. Before I continue, I just wanna say: I'm not one of those authors who'll stop my story until I have a certain number of reviews, but that doesn't mean I don't want to hear from you! Drop me a line and tell me how I'm doing why don' cha! And also, don't think I've forgotten my announcement, it'll be here at the end of the chapter. For now, read, review, and enjoy the show.

Disclaimer: (running around) "It's mine, it's mine!" (slams into a lawsuit.) "Dang it."

* * *

_"Your heart is my school, so learn me the alphabet of love." Anas Chabarek_

Kiss # 3: Alphabet Soup

* * *

"I think it's ready now." Roxas said, lobbing the words up and down before tossing them over his shoulder, where they bounced and tumbled, before they came sprawling to a stop before his companion. From her seat at the large table, Naminé smiled at him, hair and eyes glinting in the artificial light.

It was a wet, dreary day in The World That Never Was. Well, that was no surprise, as it was _always_ wet and dreary in their home world. But a _cold_, wet, and dreary day, now _there _was something new. At least this kind of cold. Roxas's nose wrinkled. Seriously, it was like Vexen went outside and let one into the atmosphere and the ice shards clung, creating the cold, frozen hell they were in now.

Most of the other members in the castle were off doing their own thing, while the rest ( a.k.a. Axel and Demyx, the only ones that mattered) were off on missions, leaving them with no extra company. Naminé didn't want to go outside (_helloooo_, cold frozen hell people) so they were forced to be content with their usual routine of her drawing and Roxas either making small talk, staring at her or off into space. It wasn't until the growling of their stomachs had them falling back down to earth that he had realized how late it had gotten.

He was just trying to figure out what to scrounge up, when, wonder of wonders, the young girl offered to make them lunch.

And that was how Roxas found himself downstairs, standing over a large pot of alphabet soup, in the Kitchen That Never Was. The Key had been pleasantly surprised and impressed as he watched his girlfriend alternately glide and bounce around the room, filling the broth with seasonings and herbs he'd never considered, let alone heard of. She even added a bit of pepper "for a kick", she'd giggled to him. It was a new and inventive spin on the classic dish.

What was even more of a surprise was that Xaldin had granted them use of his designated space. Roxas was sure that if he had a heart, it would have gone into cardiac arrest. The superior member was known to be very possessive of their eating quarters, something that was fast bordering on obsession. Once, he had come down for a midnight snack, only to find Xaldin, on hands and knees atop one of the counters, crooning to it softly as he scrubbed vigorously.

_'Ah well', _Number XIII sighed to himself, picking up a large serving ladle. The transparent wisps of steam distorted the air in front of him as he poured the mixture into twin ceramic containers. _'To each his own.' _ And as long as Xaldin and his craziness stayed far, _far _away, Roxas was content to pretend that everything was normal. He spun neatly on his heel, taking care not to disturb the sloshy substance in his hands as he made his way over to the table.

"Where'd you learn to cook like this?" His words dug themselves out of a deep curiosity as he found his place beside her. Naminé smiled brightly as the bowl was set before her with a soft "here you go." "Demy-nii taught me how. He saw all the stuff that Xaldin uses when he cooks, and found that some of them go good in a soup or something simple like that."

Well, duh. Roxas rolled his eyes at the stupid question, while at the same time smiling at the affectionate suffix. Demyx had become a fixture in Naminé's life, teaching and sharing many things with the witch during their time together. He had sat, enraptured, as she shared her knowledge of paintings and art with him, oftentimes helping her to expand on it, and he in turn shared his extremely vast and impressive knowledge of music. (A lesson that Roxas had readily taken part in. He hadn't known the older blonde could play so many instruments, and he was rather enjoying learning how to play the guitar and cello).

Roxas reminded himself, not for the first time, to not be jealous. Naminé needed more people in her world than just him, and he was glad that she had found someone like Demyx. He knew that her bond with the Melodious Nocturne was nothing at all like the one they shared. The young man loved her like a sister, and Naminé returned those affections. Roxas sighed contentedly; glad she had a familial bond.

"What're you thinking?" A head turned, ocean blue orbs coming to connect with rare, light blue ones, their shade changing like colors on a mood ring. Right now, they were bright with curiosity, waiting for his answer. "Oh, uh, nothing." The image of Number Three came, unbidden, into his mind. He shuddered. And then, at the raising of her brow, "Nothing important, anyway." He swiveled back around, mentally chanting _'Get out of my head scary man', _before indicating to their food.

"C'mon, let's eat before it gets cold." He lowered his head to stare at the broth and dough figures in front of him. It had to be room temperature by now...

He leaned in, sniffed appreciatively while picking up his spoon. "Mmm, smells good Nam." He gifted her with a pearly smile, and she sent a blush in return. She still wasn't used to being praised or complimented. His body went through the necessary motions: raise arm, lower arm, dip hand, submerge spoon. And reverse. He paused, sent out a breath just in case, then allowed the utensil to be engulfed in his mouth.

His eyes almost popped out of his head as he gagged.

_"Dear sweet, Kingdom Hearts!"_ The exclamation ran through Naminé like a electric shock, startling her into letting go of her spoon, which fell back into the bowl with a splash. Whipping around, she looked at him anxiously. "Roxas? Are you okay?" She raised her hands, ready to help him. Oh no, oh no! What happened? Was it the soup? What was wrong with it? Too much season salt? Or maybe it was too bland. Oh, she _knew_ she should've added more pepper...

"This is...this is..." Naminé waited, her teeth digging into her lip and worry threatening to carve valleys into her forehead.

"This is friggin' awesome! Seriously!"

She stared at him. One minute. Two minutes. Three minutes. For five whole minutes, she did nothing but look at him, her face empty and blank and all kinds of creepy. Roxas could feel himself start to sweat under the force of it. And then, finally... "Roxas." Naminé's voice was softer than usual and the boy leaned closer to hear.

_"_You_ drama queen!" _A growl was leveled at him and a hand was against his arm, pushing him back. Now the shove wasn't at all hard (at least to him) but the surprise that she was the one to do it made him sway slightly in his seat. He looked up in shock. "What? What did I do wrong, Nami ?" Roxas' voice was confused, as was his expression.

Naminé continued to glare at him with angry eyes and an equally upset (albeit cute) frown, which broke when she directed her gaze to her dress, which she tugged at forlornly. He could make out the tiny stains on the otherwise pure snow-like fabric. Oops...

"Ah. I'm sorry Nami-chan. You know I didn't mean to." His smile was both sheepish and apologetic, his words gleaming silver as he attempted to get in her good graces. She only huffed and turned away, but the waxing smile he glimpsed let him know he was forgiven.

"But seriously," he wrapped his hands around the porcelain and gazed at it adoringly. "If this was a person, I'd marry it."

"You'd throw me over for bowl of _soup?" _

Roxas smirked, sensing a challenge. "Hmm. Depends on the soup."

"What?" Naminé threw down her spoon and glared at him, though her eyes, he noticed, were sparkling. "After all the stuff I've put up with? When I get up at 'x' o' clock in the morning when you're coming back from a mission, even though I know that my sleep pattern will be thrown off for days. When I give up my lap, knowing that I will have the pins and needles, so that you will have a nice, warm, living pillow. Not to mention your 'surprise attacks.' I didn't even know that 'tile burn' could exist-"

"All right, all right!" Roxas gasped, eyes filling with tears, stomach muscles clenched tight, and cheeks on fire from laughing so hard. "I- I get it, I get it. Phew." He brushed away a liquid spill.

"Can we just _eat?" _Naminé was getting annoyed and he could feel her glare needling at his skull. He decided to spare himself the headache. "By all means."

It was relatively quiet for several minutes, the clanking of utensils and drip-dropping of liquid the only things to pass between them. In fact, if it wasn't for the odd occurrence, Roxas would have stayed silent.

"Hmm.? You have a 'spy' in your soup."

Naminé paused, set down her spoon, pretty sure that he had finally lost it. "A what?"

"A spy. Look."

Naminé shot him another "your crazy' look and before peering into her soup. It took her two sweeps to find it, but there, on the surface of the murky, season-filled liquid, the doughy letters had indeed come together to form the word _"spy."_

"Huh. Well whaddya know."

Her stare was still on her meal and so she didn't see her boyfriend's unusual smile, until another bowl was bumped against her elbow and the word 'misanthropic' was sloshed around dangerously. She looked up, and, after a moment, answered his challenge with one of her own. "Your on."

The next half hour was a literal battle of words. It was all-out war, each trying to outdo the other, using simple kiddy words from "cat, "dog" and "tree", to full blown dictionary words like "evince", "lupine" and "babillard"

Roxas twirled his spoon madly, bringing together the letters he needed. This was it. He was so going to win.

"Hah!" he laughed. "Let's see you try to beat that!"

Naminé leaned over, cocked her head at the bowl and the, admittedly, impressive, phrase within. Then, without warning, she grabbed her spoon and immediately began stirring and mixing, Roxas, confused and somewhat intrigued, sat silently and watched.

It wasn't five minutes later that Naminé raised her head from the table, lifting her bowl with a triumphant, yet bashful smile. Roxas leaned over the concoction, curious to see what she had written.

There, floating on top of the murky surface, were three words, small in form, but powerful in meaning. Three words that he would never get tired of hearing, no matter in what way, shape, or form they were conveyed.

_'I love you.'_

Not stopping to consider his actions, he surged forward to press his lips to hers. He probably should have thought about them, so he wouldn't scare her. But no. He didn't want to think. He was tired of that. Tired of planning, tired of everything. He didn't want to think. He only wanted to feel. Thought and logic had no place here at the moment.

After a short time, he pulled away, not completely, just enough to face Naminé properly. He opened his mouth. "I -"

"Man. You can't go anywhere these days."

That snarky, mocking voice could only belong to one person. Growling in exasperation, he turned around to give Axel a patented Look.

The other male snorted, rolled his eyes. "I come back from a long, hideous mission with this guy," he jerked a playful finger at Demyx, who glared at him, equally playful. "Hoping to get something to eat, and take a well deserved nap, and I find you two, trying to eat others faces off. And you think I'm _not _going to tease you?"

_"Axel."_ The normally gentle water user turned a scolding tone on the other, who merely ignored him and headed for the stove. "Don't be too upset Rox." He put a sympathetic hand on the boy's shoulder and smiled apologetically at Naminé, seeing how red she was. Demyx turned to the redhead. "Ax here's just fed up with the world and wants to get it out of his system."

He followed after Axel, grabbing a bowl along the way. Thoughtful sea green eyes turned to the ceiling. "When you think about it, that's a pretty pathetic reason to pick on someone."

Axel let out a "Hey!", looking slightly affronted. "I do not pick on them. It's just a little harmless ribbing. And for your information, making fun of other people is a great stress reliever."

"What? That makes absolutely no sense!"

"How can that not make sense? It's exactly what I said."

Naminé was only vaguely listening to the two squabble. She was too embarrassed to look up from the safety of her lap. Stupid Axel, ruining everything. She wanted the ground to open up and swallow her right about now.

But then a hand, strong and warm, wrapped around hers, and both settled atop her thigh. Her eyes flicked to the right. Roxas stared back, lips pressed firm and eyes serious.

"Roxas?"

"You know I do too, right? Er -" He quickly rewound, knowing she'd be confused. "Love you, I mean."

Her answering smile was like a sea of stars, bright and beautiful. She touched her lips to his cheek, humiliation forgotten. "Of course. I've always known that."

"Jeez, would you two give it a rest? Always have to have your lips, hands or other body parts on each others." He and Demyx came and sat down across from them, their own bowls now full and steaming. "Well, except for this last time. That was at least semi PG. Smooth, Roxie, _smooth_."

Thirteen considered making a nasty comment about his friend's sex life, or lack thereof. He settled for launching another Look at him.

Eight easily sidestepped the superglare. "So, what were you doing if you weren't planning to defile the kitchen table?" He stopped talking to look into Roxas's bowl. "? What the hell?"

The young couple smiled at each other and tried to repress the sudden laughter. "What?" This was from Naminé. "We were just putting the alphabet soup to good use."

Axel raised an eyebrow, but didn't comment any further. Demyx, for his part, looked simultaneously interested and impressed. "Sounds like you two had a lot of fun while we were gone."

Roxas squeezed her hand again and laughed aloud, unable to hold back any longer. Naminé only smiled.

"Believe me. We did."

* * *

And there you have it. Not my best work, but I was anxious to get this out to you. Now enough talk. Here is my long awaited announcement.

I was going through my list of 30 Kisses trying to think of which one to write next. Only, as I was reading, I realized that I had no idea what to write for some of them, and still don't. After a long time of deliberation, I had no choice but to toss those out.

Your probably wondering where this is going, right? Well my dear readers, this is where you come in! I need you to e-mail or PM me your ideas for 30 kisses. Send me a story title and summary for what you want, and I will write it out for you. I currently have over six slots that need to be filled, with more on the way, so if you have any ideas or questions, don't be shy. Thank you, and till next time!


End file.
